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No. 402,254.. Patented Apr. 30, 1889.

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E.- D. LEAVIT-T Jr.

STEAM ENGINE;

No. 402354.. Pa ented Apr. 30, 1889.

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I E. D. L-EAVITT. Jr.

STEAM ENGINE.

No. 402,254. Patented Apr. 30, 1889. I

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No. 402254; PatezitedApr. so. 1889...

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERASMUS D. LEAVITT, JR, or CAMBRIDGEPORT, MASSAcnUsETTs.

STEAM-ENGlNE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 402,254, dated April so, 1889.

. Amman filed October 12,1888. Serial No. 287,950. (No model.)

and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Engines, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention relates to steam-engines, and particularly to that class of steam-engines which are provided with two or more vertical or nearly vertical cylinders; and it consists in a novel mechanism for connecting the pistons of said cylinders to the crank upon the main'shaft and transmitting motion thereto, all as will be readily understood by reference to the description of the drawings, and to the claim, to be hereinafter given.

Of the drawings, Figure 1 represents'a sectional elevation of so much of a steam-engine as it is necessary to show in order to illustrate my invention, the cutting-plane being on line m x on Fig. 2. Fig. 2 represents a sectional plan of the same, the cutting-plane being on liney y on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a sectional plan of the beam, the cutting-plane being on line .22 on Fig. 4; and Fig. 4 represents a sectional elevation of the same, the cuttingplane being on line I; c on Fig. Fig. 5 is a partial sectional plan, the cutting-plane being on line y y on Fig. l, and showing in dotted circles the locations of four cylinders. Fig.

,6 is a similar view showing in dotted circles the positions of the cylinders when only two are used; and Fig. 7 is a vertical section through the large cylinder and the cross-heads of Fig. 6, and showing the beam, connectingject beyond the sides of the beam F and are mounted in hearings in the beam-pedestals F F, inwhich said beam may be rocked when steam is supplied to the cylinder A to reciprocate the piston B. In the arm of said beam farthest from the pin Eis mounted another similar pin, G, the ends of which project beyond the sides of the beam, as shown in Fig. 3. e

To the end of the pin G which projects from the rear side of the beam is secured a link, G, the opposite end of which is connected in any well-known manner with the intermediate cross-head, H, to which is secured the piston-rod H, upon the upper end of which is mounted a piston (not shown) which reciprocates in a well-known manner in the intermediate cylinder, I, mounted upon the I in the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

In the third or upwardly-projecting arm of the beam F is driven a pin, K, which is en circled by one end of the connecting-rod L, which passes between the piston-rods H and J as shown'in Fig, 2, and is provided at its other end with a suitable bearing for the crankpin M, mounted in the outer end of the crank M, secured to the main shaft N,which is provided with a suitable bearing in the main pedestal N, which is secured to the bed-plate O in anywell-known manner.

The beam F is made up of two castings, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, which are rigidly secured together by the link-pins E, G, and K and the beam-pin F, all of which pins are forced into the holes made in said castings for them, so that when said pins have been forced home said castings will be rigidly connected together.

The castings forming the sides of the beam F are moreover keyed to the beam-pin F at a in any well-known manner.

In the drawings, the beam F is shown of a nearly triangular shape, while the pins E, G, and K are all located an equal distance from the beam-pin F; but it is obvious that the shape of the beam may be altered and the distance of the various link-pins E, G, and K from the beam-pin F may be changed without in any way affecting the principles of my invention.

\Vhen steam is supplied to the cylinders and a reciprocating motion is thereby imparted to the pistons therein, this motion will be ransmitted to the various cross-heads G, H, and J, connected to said pistons by the rods B, H, and J and in turn will betransmitted, by virtue of the links E, G, and J, to the beam F, causing it to rock about its axis in an obvious manner and impart to the main shaft N a rotary motion through the agency of the crank M, secured thereto, the crank-pin M, mounted in the end of the crank M, and of the rod L, connecting said crank-pin M with an arm of said beam F.

The object of my invention is to so construct and arrange the cylinder, beam, piston-rods, beam-connecting links, cross-heads, slides, crank-shaft, and main connecting-rod that the height of the engine may be very much reduced as compared with ordinary engines having vertical cylinders located above the beam, and

it is equally applicable to engines having two, three, or four cylinders, either of which number of cylinders I propose to use, according to the requirements of each individual case. The positions of the several cylinders are shown by dotted ei roles in the sectional plans two cylinders in Fig. 6, three cylinders in Fig. 2, and four cylinders in Fig. 5.

It will be readily seen by referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings that the link-pins E and G,

to which the lower ends of the links E, G,

and J are connected, travel nearly in a line with the cross-heads C, II, and J, to which the upper ends of said links are connected, and by virtue of this fact very short links may be used to connect the cross-heads with the beam, and by this means and the fact that beneath the cylinder or cylinders next to the crank-shaft two cross-heads guided by independent guideways are used the cylinders may be lowered to a point much nearer the bed-plate, and the stability of the engine thereby greatly increased, while at. the same time the various parts are broughtnearcr. together, so that they will occupy far less room than would be the case if any other arrangement of mechanism were used.

It is obvious that this invention is equally applicable to a compound engine or to'one using the same pressure of steam in all of the cylinders, and it is equally obvious that the low-pressure cylinder or cylinders of a compound engine may be placed above and connected' with either end of the beam without ait'ecting the principles of my invention.

\Vith the foregoing it is believed that the operation and advantages of my invention will be so obvious as to need no further mention.

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

In asteam-engine having a plurality of cylinders, the combination, with said cylinders, of a triangular rocker-beam havin ga plurality of journals or bearings formed on three pins fixed in said beam, one at each angle, a plurality of cross-heads, a plurality of parallel and straightslides, piston-rods eonnectingsaid cross-heads with the pistons within said cylinders, links or rods connecting two of said cross-heads to two of said journals or bearings upon one of said beam-pins and the remaining cross-head or cross-heads to another of said beam-pins, a main-shaft crank-pin, and a connecting-rod mounted at one end upon said main-shaft crank-pin and at its other end upon the journal or bearing upon the third beam-pin, said connecting-rod passing and vibrating between two of said crossheads and piston-rods.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 8th day of October, A. I). 1888.

ERASMUS I). LEAVIT'J, JR.

\Vitnesses:

FRANCIS W. DEAN, GEORGE E. WHITNEY. 

